WWII Photos - Taken / Collected by Family Members

[416rigby]

Uncle,Mom&Dad, Aunt

 

[Johnny Dollar]

My grandfather was a cook in the Navy in the Pacific Theatre in WWII. He was on the seaplane tender USS Avocet when Pearl Harbor was attacked and served in many areas of the Pacific during the war.

the story of my grandfather (dad's father) is somewhat similar - the difference is that my grandfather emigrated from bavaria to the u.s. in the 1920s, and then was drafted into the u.s. navy in 1944. he served on an LST in the pacific, LST 708, and was the "baker" in the kitchen according to others that served with him, with whom i have spoken in the past couple years. apparently he was emplyed in operating antiaircraft guns (?) during his tour as well.

this photo was taken in san diego, september 1944

(grandpa, top second from left, with
H.A. Kinney, 107 Blythe, Paris, Tn
Albert Perotto, 246 North Sr, Claremont, NH
Chas. E. Hedigan, 5618 Greer Ave, St. Louis, Mo
Joseph W. Anton, 324 Gardenia, Royal Oaks, Michigan
George N, Bell, 3717 N. Franklin St, Philadelpia, Pa
George McGinn, 40 Pond St., Orond, Maine)

Ports of call:

Initiation April 20, [19]44

April 21 – May 26 Boats
26 May – 6 June Home
6 June – 8 June OGU [Out Going Unit]
9 June – 21 June [Camp] Bradford [Norfolk, Virginia]
21 June – 26 June [Camp] Shelton [Norfolk, Virginia]
27 June – 2 July Chicago
2 July – 9 July Great Lakes [Naval Training Station]
10 July - Jeffersonville [Indiana]
[17 July 1944 USS LST-708 Commissioned]
17 July – 17 August New Orleans [Naval Support Activity]
23 August – 26 August Cuba
29 August – 1 September Panama
14 September – 19 September Deago [sic. – San Diego]
29 September – 14 October Pearl Harbor
31 October – 2 November Guam [Mariana Islands]
4 November – 12 November Ulithi [Caroline Islands]
16 November – 17 November Hollandia [now Jayapura, Indonesia]
19 November – 14 December Manus [Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea]
15 December – 26 December Hollandia
29 December – 31 December Windy [Bay- USS Windham Bay CVE-92, a Casablanca Class Escort Carrier]
6 January – 8 January 1945 Leyte [, Philippine Islands]
11 January – 28 January Mindoro [, Philippine Islands]
31 January – 7 February Leyte
14 February – 17 February Manus
22 February – 12 March Guadalcanal
21 March – 25 March Ulithi
1 April – 8 April Okinawa
14 April – 19 April Leyte
19 April – 1 June Inamoc [, Philippine Islands]
1 June – 5 June Leyte
[4 June 1945 – Okinawa Gunto Occupation]
8 June – 14 June Ulithi
15 June – 29 June Guam
29 June – 1 July Okinawa

6 July – 8 July Leyte
9 July – 10 July Cebu [, Philippine Islands]
11 July – 16 July Leyte
21 July – 22 July Okinawa
22 July – 24 July Ie [Shima, an island off Okinawa Honto]
24 July – 25 July Okinawa
30 July – 1 August Leyte
3 August – 5 August Mindoro
6 August – 11 August Bataan Subic [Bay, Philippine Islands]
[14 August 1945: VJ Day]
16 August – 25 August Okinawa
29 August – 4 September Leyte
7 September – 15 September Manila [, Philippine Islands]
16 September – 17 September Lingayen [Luzon, Philippine Islands]
24 September – 1 October Wakayama [, Japan]
9 October – 11 October Manila
11 October – 18 October Cavite [ Naval Base, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands]
18 October – 8 November U.S.S. Mellette [APA-156: Operation Magic Carpet to bring U.S. Forces home]
8 November – 12 November Seattle
12 November – 16 November Train
16 November – 17 November Lamberts [sic.]
17 November [1945] Home

here are some shots of the LST 708 that he served on

 

[Heeresbergführer]

Bonjour mes amis,

Here are a couple of photos of my maternal grandfather in the French Army:

Vive la France!

Patrick

 

[Giftmacher]

If someone interested, here are some photographs from May 1945 in our town:
http://www.vysoke-myto.cz/portal/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=459&g2_itemId=4866

 

[Widebrim]

If someone interested, here are some photographs from May 1945 in our town:
http://www.vysoke-myto.cz/portal/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=459&g2_itemId=4866

Thanks for those, Giftmacher. The one with the girl in traditional costume, shaking the hand of the tanker, what force was that tank a part of?

 

[Widebrim]

the story of my grandfather (dad's father) is somewhat similar - the difference is that my grandfather emigrated from bavaria to the u.s. in the 1920s, and then was drafted into the u.s. navy in 1944. he served on an LST in the pacific, LST 708, and was the "baker" in the kitchen according to others that served with him, with whom i have spoken in the past couple years. apparently he was emplyed in operating antiaircraft guns (?) during his tour as well.

Man, your grandfather covered a huge swath of the world! Glad that you have his photos/records.

 

[Widebrim]

Bonjour mes amis,

Here are a couple of photos of my maternal grandfather in the French Army:

Vive la France!

Patrick

Merci, mon ami! Good to see photos of the French military, which often gets a bad rap due to the machinations of wartime French politicians. Your grandfather looks dashing in that Old World/Old War way.

 

[Giftmacher]

Thanks for those, Giftmacher. The one with the girl in traditional costume, shaking the hand of the tanker, what force was that tank a part of?

Red army it is. Pity that demarcation line didn't ended farther away (23 years after taking these photos Russians returned back )

 

[416rigby]

Giftmatcher,
It uplifting to see real Patriots taking care of business. If more would have done and would today do, we wouldn't have to so often re live history. You should be proud of your history.

 

[Giftmacher]

Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately these glorious days are over, there is nothing for what can I be proud since 1948 (communistic revolution)

 

[Johnny Dollar]

Man, your grandfather covered a huge swath of the world! Glad that you have his photos/records.

thanks widebrim! i know some people have reacted strangely that he was born in germany and fought in the U.S. Navy, but i know he was very proud that he could serve. i also know that it was the policy of the u.s. military to send americans of german origin to the pacific and americans of japanese origin to europe.

hey here is another photo -

my great uncle frank: he was my grandmother's brother. he was drafted into the army air force (this was before the air force was its own branch) and was trained in photography by LIFE magazine to do military photos for propaganda, training etc. after the war he moved to california and lived in burbank and then culver city, having married a woman named black whose family owned a frozen food company. he spent many years as the photographer for the santa fe railway system. he was later divorced and moved to some remote area i think in north cali where he passed away.

also related, although not strictly military:

my dad's cousins stephan & gretchen

 

[416rigby]

Out on the town!

Many of the guys in the Air Corps stationed in England, like my Father, had a unique type of combat service. The were involved in some of the most dangerous "combat" in the whole of the ETO yet at the end of the day with the grace of God they slept in their own bed "at home". Dad flew as a Flight Engineer yet here we see him off on the town!

 

[obxgyrene]

My father. Taken before heading overseas in August 1944 at MCAAF Newport, Arkansas.

 

[Giftmacher]

This is one of few "spy" photos taken from passing car by little daughter of local baker for partisan group of major Krylov, which was operating in area since January 1945.

 

[Widebrim]

My father. Taken before heading overseas in August 1944 at MCAAF Newport, Arkansas.

Nice. Where did he serve?

 

[obxgyrene]

Nice. Where did he serve?

Stateside he served at Parris Island, followed by school at Memphis. From there he joined Marine Bombing Squadron Six-Thirteen (VMB-613)--a PBJ squadron--at Cherry Point. He trained there, at NAS Boca Chica, and MCAAF Newport. He left San Diego on Thanksgiving day 1944 and went to Kwajalein Island, via Pearl Harbor. While on Kwajalein, VMB-613 flew missions against the Japanese held atolls and islands of Wotje, Maleolap, Jaluit, Mille, Ocean, Nauru, Kusaie and Ponape. His squadron also flew, for a brief period, out of Iwo Jima against the Japanese islands of HaHa Jima, Hachio Jima, and ChiChi Jima.

 

[Widebrim]

^^He certainly did his time. My father was at Kwajalein with the 7th ID, USA.

 

[obxgyrene]

^^He certainly did his time. My father was at Kwajalein with the 7th ID, USA.

Ah yes. Those were the guys who did the "dirty work" taking the southern part of the atoll from the Japanese in 1944. They did a real good job too.

 

[MisterCairo]

As I get photos scanned and copies made for our family members, I'll post what I can from my dad's service. Sadly, no photos exist of my mother's father who served in the Royal Army Ordinance Corps.

My dad Sgt. Patrick Raleigh (right) with an unknown chum serving with the RAF Iraqi Levies, circa 1942 (having grown up in Baghdad, he spoke Arabic and thus served as aide to an officer. The RAF Levies were training local troops in the event the Germans were able to invade the middle east. RAF Habaniya last made the news after American forces took the area in 2003 - the British cemetery had been neglected:

I don't know how to make this bigger, but this photo of my dad's company, "W" Coy, 11th Bn, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), was taken September 3, 1939, the day Britain and France declared war on Germany. Here is the link to my photostream, you can make it larger there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63776924@N06/

Not second world war, but my dad's little brother, George, Royal Airforce, circa 1955:

My dad again in Iraq, about 1943 (shame his eyes are closed!)

"Love to you all, your loving Paddy xxx". My dad told me the name of the dog. Foolishly I never wrote it down....

Italian campaign, Christmas 1943, again, name of his chum lost to laziness in not writing it down while Dad was still alive-

 

[thecardigankid]

also related, although not strictly military:

my dad's cousins stephan & gretchen

This is a great photo! I love seeing some of these photos that show some of the war time influenced toys. It looks like the kid far right is wearing a hawley liner under his helmet shell, I gasped a little when I saw that lol.